Where do the defensive players line up on the field?

2011-09-15 10:58:28

2011-09-15 10:58:28

I'll answer based on the common 4-3 college and professional
alignment. 4-3 means 4 down linemen and 3 linebackers.

2 DT's or Defensive Tackles align in the middle of the front
line of defense closest to the ball.2 DE's or Defensive Ends align
in the outside of the front line furthest from the ball, but still
on the line of scrimmage.3 LB's or Linebackers line up about 4-5
yards behind the four linemen. Two are called Outside
Linebackers.The last four players are the defensive secondary and
primarily defend pass plays.2 CB's or cornerbacks align outside the
the DE's and are normally 7-15 yards deep depending on the down and
distance.2 S's or safety's align themselves inside the CB's and
furthest from the ball. One is a Free Safety FS and one is a Strong
Safety SS. SS's align on the strong side of the offense...the side
with the most blockers and higher percentage of a run.

It depends on what formation. On offense you will have a center,
two guards, two tackles and a quarterback. You will also have 5
other players that can be runningbacks, tight ends, split ends, and
wide recievers. Six of these players must be on the line of
scrimmage or you will get a flag for illegal formation. On defence
you will have defensive ends, defensive tackles, noseguards,
linebackers, cornerbacks, and safties. Defensive ends are on the
end of the defensive line. Tackles line up in between the defensive
ends. Noseguards line up on the center. Linebackers line up about
four yards behind the line. You will usually have a middle
linebacker(MLB), a right outside linebacker(ROLB), and a left
outside linebacker(LOLB). You will have cornerbacks outside
covering wide recievers and split ends. You will have a safety
about 10 yards behind the line. You can have two safties. These are
the positions run, but one team can only have 11 on the field.